Cold Little Kitty
by Atomshipping
Summary: Something strange has happened to General Winter. Something that will change a lot for the Season. But what?
1. A Change

Russia shivered. It was the beginning of winter, and the General was off to a strong start. The snow was already blanketed thick on the ground and fresh snow was falling from the clouds. The frigid wind was beginning to howl. And it was only 5 o'clock.

Normally, Russia would not be up this early, but England was coming over to discuss trade between their countries.

'Lovely day for a meeting…' Russia thought scornfully, glaring outside the window. "You could be a little calmer, da? I have company coming over soon!" he shouted at General Winter, knowing full well that Winter was probably elsewhere and couldn't hear him. Even if he did hear him, would laugh and make the blizzard worse.

Grumbling, Russia made his breakfast. He was in for a long day.

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><p>Later, the blizzard had calmed down enough for England's flight to land. It was arranged that they would meet in a café or a restaurant in Moscow, but England had to get there on his own.<p>

He was very tired. What was supposed to be only a 4 hour flight had been lengthened painfully into close to 6 hours due to delays and bad weather. He was not in the best of moods.

As he wandered through Moscow, trying to get his cell phone to work so he could find out from Russia where they were meeting, he felt a significant drop in the temperature behind them, along with a sudden blast of cold air. England shrugged it off as nothing. He was used to oddities like this, anyway...

Even if the footsteps behind him seemingly belonged to no one.

England was far too agitated to be frightened. The footsteps had gotten on England's last, very frayed nerve. In a fit of anger, England whirled around and yelled a curse at his follower, one arm fully extended.

There was a blinding flash of light. Snow went everywhere, whirling all over England and unfortunate on-lookers. When the snow settled, England heard a confused mewl and the sound of much smaller feet scampering away. He looked around. People were giving him very confused and startled looks. He stood there, arm still extended, wondering how the heck he was going to explain this to them.

"Ah, I, uh…" He stammered. In pure confusion, England's brain shut down. He had forgotten every lick of Russian he knew- and every language for that matter- leaving England with nothing to work with and forcing him to stand there babbling like an idiot.

A few people just gave small nods and walked away while the rest continued to stare at England, completely dumbfounded.

England's cell phone went off. He gave it a quick glance and ran off in the direction of the tiny restaurant Russia had decided on. He didn't want to stay there any longer than he needed to.

* * *

><p>Many thoughts raced through General Winter's mind. Never before had someone dared to attack him so. He was a force of nature. He was powerful, unforgiving. He had a reputation of being incredibly cruel and unfeeling. The only thing he felt now was the inability of his brain to slow down enough for him to have a coherent thought.<p>

Russia had requested that General Winter find England and tell him where to meet him as his cell phone refused to send the message. Winter had tried and failed several times to get the Brit's attention, when, out of nowhere, England and yelled something at him.

Then the flash of light, and the feeling of shrinking… and falling into the snow…

'What happened…?' the dazed Season wondered.

Regardless, he needed to find Russia. He had lost what little trust he had of England.

* * *

><p>The snow was falling again by the time Russia and England got to the large house. They both were exhausted now, and hadn't reached an agreement yet. They would have to wake up early and try to reach some sort of decision before tomorrow afternoon, when England's flight home left.<p>

Russia had set up a room for England to stay in earlier that day so that he didn't have to do so later, for which he was thankful. He didn't want to have to make it now and England was way too tired for Russia to want to deal with him. The two sleep deprived nations bid each other good night and England closed the door to his room.

'I wonder what happened to my stalker…' he wondered as he changed into pajamas and fell asleep.

Russia, however, hadn't yet gone to bed. He was downstairs, turning off lights. He only had a few lamps in his living room to turn off before he was free to sleep. So close to the wonderful thing that is sleep… So close to freedom… But he had to turn the dang lights off.

Russia sighed. When had he even turned these on? He couldn't remember anymore. He had been so tired these past few days.

A scratching noise was heard. Russia stopped, confused. The night was silent again. Then, as Russia started moving again, the scratching started up, barely audible.

Russia swiveled his head around, trying to locate the source.

_Scritch scritch scritch._

It sounded like it was coming from the front door.

Russia walked up to the door and slowly reached for the door knob. He was reluctant to open the door because it was winter and it was absolutely freezing what if someone was dying and needed help?

Russia opened the door. He was not expecting what he saw.

There, on the porch, was a very confused and frightened looking cat.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Dun dun dun! This should be interesting... What will Russia do now?**

**R&R! Next chapter will be up... I don't know when. School starts up tomorrow and I have marching band practice after school. Fun.  
><strong>


	2. Found and Embarrassed

While Russia stared at the little cat, it darted in the house, mewling unhappily. Russia slowly turned and watched the cat run and huddle under a table. He shut the door.

"Come here little one, I won't hurt you," Russia cooed, holding a hand out for the feline to sniff.

To Russia's surprise, the cat walked right up to him and yowled.

"Aw, do not be upset, little one. You are safe." He picked up the cat and held it close. It was cold. Very cold. Russia began to worry. It could be have frozen! It seemed to be walking fine… it was just cold.

He looked at the cat. It had long, soft, light gray fur with a hint of silver and blue. It was light weight, too. He could feel the little things ribs right through its skin and fur. Its eyes were a strange gray color, matching its fur. That was odd, Russia had never seen that color eyes on a cat before. He didn't even know if it was possible.

"You must be so cold and hungry, da, little one? I shall feed you and take care of you. I wonder if someone is looking for you…" Russia mused. The cat just looked up at him.

'Fix me, Russia. Get that stupid England down here and have him fix me!' Winter thought, trying to glare his thoughts into the Russian's head. His glare failed. Horribly.

"Aww, you're so cute!" Russia exclaimed and happily hugged the kitty. It squirmed in his embrace, meowing angrily. It hissed.

'Let go, Russia! I'm not cute, I am General Winter! You're idiot friend up there cursed me! Russia, let go!'

"Hmm, if I am going to take care of you, I shall need to name you. But, in order to name you…" Russia trailed off.

'Oh no…' Winter knew exactly where this was going. That was **not** going to happen. Russia was **not** going to "check" him.

The cat began to struggle in Russia's grasp. Tightening his hold, Russia tried to soothe it. "I just need to know if you are a boy or a girl, little one, I am not going to hurt you, da?" He held the cat out in front of him.

Winter yowled, enraged, and clawed Russia's face. Startled, Russia dropped the cat. Winter ran and hid out of Russia's reach, hissing and spitting.

"Ow, bad kitty! I was not going to hurt you! You're going to wake England up, hush, bad kitty!" Russia scolded, trying to find his new little cat. "Where did you go…?"

"What is making all that god-awful noise?" An irritated voice sounded from the stairway.

"Oh, sorry, England. I found a cat. I was trying to figure out its gender, and it scratched me." Russia explained, looking up at the Englishman.

England looked at Russia's face. Indeed, he had a rather nasty looking scratch on his cheek, which was bleeding and already looked swollen from when the cat hit him.

"Go clean that, Russia. I'll try to coax it out from where ever its hiding."

"Da, thank you."

Russia went in the bathroom to clean his face off and England knelt down in front of the couch, looking underneath it for the cat.

"Here, kitty, kitty…" England called softly, wanting to seem as nice as possible to get the cat out. The sooner Russia got the cat taken care of, the sooner England could get back to bed.

Winter lurked behind England, watching from underneath a chair, waiting for England to be in the perfect position.

When he was, Winter attacked.

Screeching, the cat launched itself out from hiding, tackling England. England fell to the ground, surprised. He twisted around, trying to get a hold on the cat's scruff.

Winter bit England's hand with as much strength as he could manage, tasting the nation's warm blood that began to flow into his mouth. He dug his claws into England's flesh as the Brit yelled in pain and thrashed, trying to jar the cat's hold on him.

'NO. THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR DOING THIS TO ME, YOU USELESS LIMEY.' Winter wanted to scream, but it came out as feline growls and hisses.

Russia, hearing the commotion, ran back to the living room. His new little kitty was attacking England!

He scrambled over to England, grabbing the cat by its scruff and ripping it off of England. England cried out in pain.

"OW, Russia, could you be gentler, please?" England grumbled, pressing his uninjured hand on the bitten one in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Bad kitty, very bad kitty!" Russia scolded, "I shall have to punish you, da?"

Winter yowled and squirmed more before he stopped. How in the world was Russia going to punish a _Season?_ He quickly learned how.

Russia grabbed the glass of what he assumed was water- but turned out to be vodka- and dumped it on the cat.

Winter yowled in surprise and wrenched himself free of Russia's hold, landing on the ground and standing in shock, back arched, hackles raised, panting.

'Russia just… WHAT THE HECK? You will suffer for this, Russia!' Winter made a mental note to get back at Russia as soon as he was changed back, opting not to attack again.

"England, grab him."

"…What?"

"Just grab him."

England grabbed Winter. Winter started to fight back, wishing he could figure out how to freeze these two men as a cat and failing to come up with a way.

Russia grabbed Winter's back legs. Again, the cat began to squirm and thrash violently.

'… No. I am a boy! I am male! I'm General Winter! General Winter! DO NOT LOOK AT MY-'

"Boy. The kitty is a boy!" Russia chirped as if there was nothing wrong with the fact that he had just checked General Winter's gender.

England let go of Winter and the cat slunk miserably back under the chair, completely humiliated.

"Leave him, da? He will get over it soon." Russia went upstairs.

England was going to argue and say that they should clean the cat off, but decided that he really didn't care. He cleaned his battle wounds and went to bed, leaving poor Winter downstairs.

'When I figure out how, I'm going to beat Russia senseless.' Winter vowed, curling up as tight as possible, desperately trying to get the memory of what just happened erased forever.

'I will never forgive him.'


	3. Vet

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I had a lot of homework and band practice. We also had a football game, so there was almost no time for me to write! Anyway, minor language warning for this chapter. R&R!**

* * *

><p>Winter stared out the back door at Russia's house, focusing on the clouds. <em>Come on… Come on… Just a little more…<em> Nothing. As hard as the cat tried, he still hadn't relearned how to use his powers. It wasn't like being a more human embodiment. He couldn't just focus on something and make it do what he wanted it to. He needed to work harder. Then again, maybe he hadn't gotten over the shock, considering it was only yesterday that he had been changed.

Winter was still very angry with Russia. Winter held grudges for a long time. He was even trying to conjure up a severe blizzard to punish Russia.

The door opened. Russia was back from taking England to the airport. Winter turned and greeted Russia with an intense kitty glare and a hiss.

Russia just smiled and said, "Hello, my little boy, did you miss me?"

_No, Russia, I did not miss you. Shut up and don't call me your "little boy." I can control you. _Winter though bitterly.

"Ah, the weather has been nice. It seems mean old General Winter finally gave up, da?" Russia continued.

At this, Winter flattened his ears and attacked Russia's legs. Unfortunately for him, Russia's pants were too thick for him to scratch his way through. Russia bent down and picked him up.

He cradled Winter in his arms, rubbing the cat's belly and cooing, "You're so soft, do you like it when I tickle your tummy, little one? Hmm… I need to name you, Kitty. What shall your name be…?"

Winter bit Russia's finger and leaped out of his arms. He glared up at Russia and sauntered off, swishing his tail. He grumbled in his mind about how Russia was probably going to choose a stupid, degrading name for him. Oh, how he wanted the spell to wear off. Then he would have his chance to punish England and Russia accordingly.

Russia sighed as his cat walked away. For a moment, he considered leaving the feline alone.

"Oh no, I haven't gotten anything for my new friend yet! I wonder what pet stores are in the area…? OH, and the vet! He needs to be checked in case he's sick!" Now feeling like a terrible owner, Russia hurried to do some research.

Later, Winter ventured out of his hiding place, wanting to avoid Russia as much as possible. Much to his dismay, Russia appeared around the corner, smiling widely. He had some sort of basket in his hands… With a top…

"It's time for my little kitty to get a check up!" Russia sang.

Winter stared at Russia in disbelief. He was going to be taken to the vet? … This would be very bad. Russia came at him, holding a blanket out.

Winter scampered out of the way, scrambling to get under the chair. Swiftly, Russia trapped him under the blanket and shoved the cat in the basket, locking the little latch outside.

Winter let out a confused and frustrated mewl.

Russia laughed, "Sorry kitty, I called the people! They are expecting us to arrive in about 15 minutes!"

Winter moved around in the basket, trying to find an easy way out. When he heard a car door open, he gave up.

The door shut. Shortly after, another door opened and Russia sat down. "After this, I'll take you to go get toys and food and other things, da?" he cooed as if he was making a one-sided compromise with the cat.

Winter glared in the direction of Russia's voice as the Russian closed the door and started the car.

Winter was jolted from sleep when he heard a car door slam. _… Dammit._

* * *

><p>Russia opened the door on the passenger side and lifted up the basket. He chuckled when the cat hissed angrily. <em>It's as if he knows, da?<em> He mused, entering the vet clinic and approaching the front desk.

"Hello!" the receptionist greeted, smiling.

"Hello! I'm Ivan Braginski. I called about 10 minutes ago for an appointment with Dr. Moskalets for my new cat."

"Oh, go take a seat. He'll be right with you."

Russia sat down as the receptionist wrote something down on a list.

"Mr. Braginski?"

"Da?"

"Does your cat have a name?"

"Nyet, he does not at the moment. I have not come up with one yet."

"We need a name for the little guy for records. If you want, I could help you come up with one," the receptionist offered.

"Da! That would be great!"

"Hmm… How about Dimitri?"

"Nyet… Something to fit my kitty…"

"Well, what does he look like?"

Russia reached to unhook the latch, then, thinking better of it, said, "He has long, white fur. He's soft! Oh, and he's really thin and lightweight."

"… Pushka*?" the receptionist suggested.

"Da! I like that! It fits him very well! He is very fluffy!" Russia agreed happily.

Winter snarled and hissed. Puska? …_Fluffy?_ He had been named Fluffy? Russia would pay for this.

The receptionist scribbled down Winter's new name. "Alright," she said, "Dr. Moskalets will see Pushka Braginski now."

Russia chuckled to himself, standing up and taking Winter, or, sorry, Pushka, in to the examination room.

Dr. Moskalets was a tall, young man with blue eyes and blonde hair. He had a neatly shaven face and a friendly smile.

"So you are Ivan Braginski here with your cat Puska?" Dr. Moskalets asked, closing the door.

"Da," Russia answered as Dr. Moskalets opened the basket.

"How long have you had him?" he asked as he tried to pry Winter loose of the blankets he had so wittingly dug his claws into.

"He appeared at my door yesterday. He let himself in when I opened the door! He isn't very well behaved…" Russia explained as the vet checked over his cat.

"Oh really? Pushka here seems to be sick. Very sick. He's far too thin and he is very cold. The only strange thing is that is fur is rather soft as opposed to being coarse as I expected it to be. However, I will have to check his temperature to ensure that he isn't just cold from the weather," Dr. Moskalets said solemnly.

Winter's eyes widened at that last part. There was no way he was going to let this vet check his temperature. No. Freaking. Way.

Winter tried to jump down from the table, but Russia and Dr. Moskalets just grabbed him by the scruff and hips respectively. Winter squirmed in their hold.

"His heart rate is normal, and so is pretty much everything else. After checking his temperature, I'll weigh him to make sure that we are correct in our assumption that he is underweight," the vet said as he prepared the thermometer and grabbed Winter's tail.

Winter hissed loudly and struggled, but his struggling was in vain.

"Oh dear…" Dr. Moskalets murmured as Winter collapsed onto the table out of sheer humiliation.

_I feel violated._ He groaned inwardly.

"What is wrong?" Russia asked, fearful.

"The normal cat temperature is 100 to 102° Fahrenheit. Pushka's temperature reads only 75° and seems to be dropping," the vet trailed off at the end. He seemed to be contemplating something. Something important.

"P-Pushka…" Russia reached his hand out, scratching Winter behind the ears.

Dr. Moskalets removed the thermometer (poor Winter) and examined it with a sigh. _It does not make any sense. How is he so healthy when his body temperature is so low…?_

Dr. Moskalets lifted up the traumatized cat and set him on the scale. Winter gave the vet a look that would make Death itself shiver in fear, had Death been staring into the cat's eyes at that moment. However, Dr. Moskalets didn't even look at Winter. He was focusing on the scale.

The vet smiled. "He's a perfectly healthy weight. 4.0 kilograms. Right on target! That is very good. Just try to keep him warm, and Pushka will be okay."

At this, Russia gave a giggle of happiness.

"You have a truly amazing little cat here. I believe that he is a Siberian. Quite the beautiful breed. They're great pets. He is a long hair, so you'll have to brush him, especially at the end of winter and not so much at the end of summer. Daily brushing is recommended. You are lucky. Siberian cats are very loyal. Pushka here seems to be about two years old. Now he just needs to have his shots and you two will be all set! I'll have my receptionist give you a packet of information and tips to keep him healthy." Dr. Moskalets said as he prepared the injections.

Winter stared at the needles with a sudden wave of apathy. So far, Russia had discovered that he was, in fact, male and a vet shoved a thermometer up his butt. Shots were the least of his worries.

As Dr. Moskalets administered the injections, Winter realized that he had the perfect chance to punish Russia, even if slightly. Sneakily, he extended one paw, claws unsheathing his claws. He watched Russia, making sure that he didn't look down. Russia and Dr. Moskalets chatted idly about the different breeds of cats the vet had seen in his years. When the vet told Russia about the poor woman who had taken in a rather hyperactive Bengal, he had let go of Winter. Winter laughed inwardly. Now was his chance.

He clawed Russia's hand as hard as he could, digging his claws in deep. Russia yanked back his hand and gave a short, confused cry of pain. Winter used this as leverage, launching himself from Russia's hand and up, using the poor Nation's face to get him higher. Then, as he started to come back down, Winter extended all four paws and landed on Russia's head.

Even more confused and surprised now, Russia jumped around, trying to get "Pushka" off of his head. Winter clung to Russia's head.

Finally, after what seemed like hours for Russia, Winter jumped back onto the table.

Dr. Moskalets had fallen to the floor, he was laughing so hard. He gripped the edge of the table as he tried to sit back up, his other arm clutching at his stomach and tears streaming from both eyes.

Still giggling, the vet shoved Winter back into his makeshift carrier. Russia grumbled in annoyance.

"Alright, everything looks good, just go out to the front and ask the receptionist for the packet," Dr. Moskalets instructed when he had regained his composure.

Russia nodded as he walked out. This cat was going to be trouble.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the delay, I was busy. So, Winter is a Siberian! They are beautiful cats. They have long fur and are incredibly playful. Winter, however… Yeah. And, in case you are wondering, I wasn't referring to the Bengal tiger in this chapter. A Bengal cat is a hybrid of an Asian Leopard Cat and a domesticated cat. They are absolutely insane. They can jump ridiculously high and can open doors and drawers. Mine randomly puts things in drawers and other random places. He put a bottle cap in our coffee maker once. Seriously, look up Bengal cats on youtube, you will have hours of entertainment.**

**The temperature is accurate for cats and the weight is accurate for a Siberian cat! I did research! *dances* **

**Anyway, poor Dr. Moskalets. He had no idea of what to think of Winter.  
><strong>

**Thanks for reading! Next update will hopefully be sooner this time…**


	4. Not Alone

**A/N: Sorry for the various spelling errors and such in the previous chapters. I edited them several times, but some still escaped me. Darn. **

**Just to let you know, when I write Winter's speech like this, **"_Stuff goes here._" **That is the translation of what he is saying. So, if he says, **"_You will suffer._" **Russia hears meowing. Winter isn't talking. It makes it a little easier to write what Winter is trying to say and how he is reacting to a situation.**

**On to the story!**

* * *

><p>As soon as Russia set the kennel down and opened the door to let "Pushka" out, Winter made a beeline for the nearest piece of furniture. Never again would the cat allow Russia to humiliate him like that.<p>

Russia chuckled. "Poor little Pushka. He is angry now, da? Pushka, I still have your toys!" Russia called, waving a bag from the local pet store.

When the cat did not come out of hiding, Russia emptied the contents of the bag onto the ground. "Just in case he wants to play later!"

The Russian wandered into his kitchen. He grabbed a few vodka bottles and bid the hiding cat good night. Whistling cheerfully, Russia retired to his room, a skip in his step.

When he closed the door, his cheerful demeanor vanished. He slid down to the floor, back against the door. He sighed. He really did like Pushka, but he knew that there was a chance that someone was missing him. With a pang, he thought of how sad the family would be if their kitty never came home. Russia knew what he had to do.

He had to put up posters around town about Pushka. He knew that if he was missing something precious, he would be worried. _Pushka is too healthy to be a stray… I know he has at least someone, somewhere, who loves him… And is probably worried sick about him… Da… It will mean that I would have to give Pushka up, but it is the right thing to do…_

The idea of losing the cat was almost depressing. Russia had been lonely without the Baltics and his sisters to keep him company. He gulped down some vodka. But, the cat's possible family could be lonely without him.

Russia stared sadly at the vodka label. There was no way he would make another person lonely, especially if they were his citizens. He took another swig. Russia hated his loneliness. It seemed to eat from the inside out, tearing you apart until there was nothing left and you are just a simple shadow of what you used to be.

_Pushka is my only true friend… He would never leave… He would stay no matter what…_ Russia swallowed the rest of the vodka and rolled the bottle across the room. It veered of path and rolled straight into the adjacent wall. Russia chuckled.

_Hmm… Where have I known that loyalty before?_ Russia mused. _Not the Baltics, nyet, they left me the first chance they got. Not little Prussia. Not Big Sister… Not Belarus… Nyet… Where have I seen it before? Not even my people are that loyal. _

Then it hit him. Russia's eyes widened and he let go of the remaining vodka bottles. They rolled away a few feet.

"General Winter. It was him! That is where it is from!" Russia paused, his sadness returning. "At least, it was him. He is gone now, da?"

Russia stood up, leaving the bottles where they were. He walked across the room to a window and gazed thoughtfully at the scene outside. The sun had long since set, the moon had risen and the stars had come out. The moon cast a soft light on the bare ground. Not a snowflake in sight.

That was odd. Winter never abandoned Russia. Not until the warm weather set in. General Winter had promised Russia that he wouldn't abandon him.

"Liar," Russia spat, glaring now. Even General Winter was gone.

Not even caring to change his clothes, Russia climbed into his bed and drifted into sleep.

* * *

><p>The house was dark and silent. Cautiously, Winter took a few steps out of his hiding place. When Russia did not appear, he relaxed. He padded over to the pile of cat toys, most of which were still in their wrappers, and sniffed them disdainfully. He grimaced inwardly. There was no way in the world that he was going to play with those things.<p>

He hopped up on the sofa, sitting at the highest point on the back. He looked at his surroundings, pleased that he could see significantly better in the dark as a cat. His stomach growled.

"_I'm hungry. I wonder if I can get Russia to feed me at, er…"_ Winter searched for a clock, "_4:30 in the morning. Probably not."_

Winter dismissed the idea. Russia was no doubt tired. Winter flopped himself down, lying across the back cushion. _He's so big now. And strong… he doesn't need me as much anymore. _Winter stared at the wall across from him._ He's the largest nation in the world. People rarely try to hurt him, they know they would lose. He doesn't need anyone to protect him anymore. He isn't the little kid who couldn't even walk through the snow without falling over._ The cat felt a sense of pride knowing that he had raised such as powerful nation. Even if Russia was having trouble, all of the nations were. Russia was strong, and Winter was happy. _My boy is the largest nation in the world._ He thought as he purred.

Winter's stomach growled again, louder this time, and Winter hopped down from the couch to go wake Russia up.

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><p><em>Russia was in a meadow. The other nations stood in groups scattered across the grass. Searching, Russia found the Baltics. <em>

_He approached them, smiling._

_When he walked up to them, however, they disappeared. Frantic, Russia spun around, looking for the other Nations. They were all gone. _

_The meadow was gone. Everything was white. Fear pulsed through Russia. Where had everyone gone? Where was he? What was happening?_

_**They've abandoned you, Russia,**__ a voice boomed. __**They all have.**_

"_No!" Russia yelled, grabbing his hair. "They didn't leave!"_

_**They all left. They don't care about you. They all hate you. You mean nothing to them; you don't mean anything to anyone.**_

"_That's not true! Go away!"_

_**You will die alone.**_

"NO!" Russia screamed, jolting upright, his heart pounding. _Oh…_ _Just a dream…_

He heard a confused meow at his door. For a split second, Russia forgot everything. He forgot why there was a cat in his house. He forgot that General Winter had been "gone" for three days now. He forgot who he was. He couldn't keep his mind off of the nightmare.

When the mew sounded again and the doorknob jiggled as the cat attempted to open the door, everything came flooding back.

Feeling relieved, Russia let Pushka in. The moment of panic was over.

"Are you okay, little Pushka?" Russia asked, smiling at the kitty.

Pushka meowed, glaring slightly.

"I forgot to feed you, didn't I? I am sorry, little one. You must be hungry now, da? I will get you food." Russia led the cat downstairs.

They entered the living room. Suddenly, Russia let out a yelp of pain and fell to the floor. He sat up, annoyed, rubbing his foot. He stood back up and limped over to a lamp. The room lit up. A cat toy lay on the ground next to where Russia had fallen.

"Stupid toy… I stepped on your toy, Pushka. It hurt. Put that thing away," he grumbled before heading to the kitchen.

Winter didn't follow Russia. He just stared blankly at the toy. Then, his poor little kitty mind snapped.

With a yowl of fury, Winter attacked the toy.

"_You hurt Russia, you hurt Russia! Only I can hurt Russia!_" he screeched, flinging the toy into the air.

Hearing the yowling, Russia turned around. "Pushka?"

"_No one hurts my Russia!_" the enraged cat hissed. He pounced on the toy again and bit down on its mouse-like head. He thrashed his head, still holding the toy in place with his claws.

A rip was heard. Winter looked up at Russia, still radiating fury, holding the toy's head in his mouth. Stuffing and small bits of metal- the offenders that hurt Russia's foot- fell from its neck.

Winter's eye twitched.

Russia chuckled and brought the cat's food to him. "You're protective, aren't you? The dream was wrong. I'm not alone. I have you, Pushka."

At that, Winter's face changed entirely. He looked into Russia's eyes. "_Of course you have me. You've always had me, my boy._" Winter looked away again and started eating.

Russia was stunned. That wasn't the look a cat gave its owner. It was deeper than any look he had seen from a cat. It was something the nation almost never saw.

Fatherly love.

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><p><strong>AN: I think that's a good place to stop for now. *evil smile* **

**I'm so sorry about taking so long to update! I'm in marching band and AP classes, they take a lot of my time! I'll start working on the next chapter as soon as possible and will hopefully not take as long as this one did.  
><strong>


	5. Dogs

A few weeks had passed since the General had changed. The weather was more like autumn, as opposed to how Winter preferred it. The wildlife was having a field day with this. Unfortunately, because things weren't growing quite yet, there was a shortage on food. There was so little food, several species had taken to targeting pets.

"The wild dogs have attacked another neighborhood. Many cats and small dogs have gone missing and are not expected to return. Citizens are advised to stay inside if any dogs attack. Do not attempt to shoot them or to fight them off. Keep all pets inside during the night to protect them. In other news…" the news reporter droned on. Russia wasn't listening. The pack of dogs weren't attacking people yet, that was good. Normally, the pack wouldn't bother him. He didn't always have a cat that could be killed by the dogs. But now, he did. And he was very worried.

Pushka enjoyed being outside. Russia had observed on numerous occasions how the cat would stare at the clouds for a few minutes. Usually, he would saunter off afterward, but several times, he would either hiss or sulk. That was odd. Cats don't usually hiss at clouds.

Though it had only been a few weeks, Russia had caught on to other strange quirks about his fluffy little friend. The cat seemed unbothered by the rain. He would just look up in annoyance, but it didn't bother him at all, even if it was already rather chilly outside. Then again, he did have a thick coat.

Pushka tended to follow guests around and seemed to be suspicious of them. It was as if the cat didn't trust them, even though he had no reason to be so mistrusting.

The cat also did not lay in the sunlight as other cats Russia had seen. Usually, cats would curl up and fall asleep in the warmth of the sun's rays, but not Pushka. He seemed to avoid it.

_Maybe he just doesn't like getting too warm…_ Russia rationalized.

Russia scratched Pushka's head. "Litva will be over to discuss politics. Be nice to him, da? He is a good friend. He will be happy to see you, too! He likes cats!"

The cat lifted his head. "_That weakling? Great. He's probably shaking at the mere thought of spending any amount of time alone with you,_" he mewled.

Russia chuckled. "You're so talkative, Pushka! And you have a pretty meow!"

Winter rolled his eyes inwardly. He stood up and stretched, wandering over to the front door. He turned and stared at Russia. Eventually, he knew, this would convince the Nation to let him out. Russia did, and followed Winter. Russia sat down on a step and watched as his cat walked around the yard. Once again, the cat turned its gaze to the clouds. And, once again, he stared for a few minutes before he hissed and moved on.

Winter tried to blend in for the most part, until he could find a way to get Russia to realize who he was. _It will take a lot,_ he thought as he made his way closer to the edge of the driveway.

Just as Winter sat down in the driveway, a car drove up and slammed on the brakes. Russia hurried over.

"Get out of the way, Pushka! You don't want to get hit, do you?" Russia asked as he picked the cat up. He flashed a smile at the driver and stepped out of his way, motioning for him to drive forward.

The car slowly moved up the driveway before it was put in park and shut off. Lithuania stepped out. He waved awkwardly to Russia as he got a box out of the trunk.

"Hello, Litva!" Russia greeted.

"Hello, Russia. This box is just for the meeting. I wasn't originally going to bring it, but it got windy at my house and the papers kept blowing around when I took them out to my car," Lithuania explained, much to Winter's amusement.

"Oh. That's okay. Hey, look at my new cat! Isn't he cute?" Russia held Winter out to Lithuania.

Winter scowled, glaring at Lithuania. Lithuania shivered.

"He's very cute," Lithuania lied. Winter was the creepiest cat he had ever seen. Cats don't usually glare daggers at people. Well, not like that cat did. Though, it was familiar… Someone Russia knew had a glare like that… But who?

"His name is Pushka!"

"That name fits him rather well, Russia."

Russia chuckled and led Lithuania inside, taking Pushka with him. There was no way he would leave the little cat outside on his own when a pack of ravenous wild dogs was on the loose. He had to protect his precious little friend.

"How have things been, Russia?" Lithuania asked shyly.

"Not so well. Dogs have been attacking and killing people's pets! There is a whole pack of them. They are vicious. They have made the news twice this week! So far, they have not turned to attacking humans, but they have evaded our guns," Russia complained. That pack had been nothing but trouble.

"That's not good. I'm sorry you've had to deal with them. Do you know why they've started doing this?" Lithuania looked concerned. His eyes flickered to Pushka and back to Russia.

"Nyet. Well, da. There is not very much food. General Winter disappeared, see, and the weather went with him. It is not as cold as it normally is. The wildlife is out and about, da?" Russia smiled, despite the subject at hand.

"Oh… I noticed that it wasn't snowing. I wonder what happened to him," Lithuania mused.

Winter hissed at this, annoyed at his current state of helplessness.

The conversation continued, switching topics when there wasn't much left to say on one topic or an awkward silence came. Eventually, it came to politics, but that took a while. Russia had been a bit lonely and dragged the meeting out until night had fallen.

Deep down, he really missed General Winter and was worried about him. Winter didn't just vanish. He never did, never in the hundreds of years Russia had known him. He was always there, every winter, without fail. Until now.

Winter had been snoozing a bit when he heard a strange noise outside. A rustling noise, like something big was moving around. He stared out the window, ears alert. He glanced over to the pair to see if they had reacted. They were still talking, oblivious to the world around them. Winter looked back out the window. The noise came again, but it sounded like there were more of them.

Winter 's tail instinctively fluffed out. He stood up and hesitantly walked over to the window. When the rustling got a bit louder, he jumped back. _What? What?_

This had gotten the Nations' attention. Russia turned around in his seat. "Did you hear something, Pushka?"

A loud, piercing beep suddenly erupted from outside. Lithuania and Pushka jumped. "M-My car alarm!" Lithuania exclaimed before hurrying outside. Russia and Pushka followed, confused.

Fumbling around with the keys for a moment, Lithuania managed to silence the alarm.

"What set it off?" Russia called from the porch.

"I-I don't know," Lithuania responded, looking around nervously.

"It could not be the dogs, could it? They would have run off when the alarm went off, and, besides, they could not set it off, da?"

"I… I don't know, Russia," Lithuania answered. He glanced over at something in the bushes. Had he just seen movement?

A breeze blew. Winter stiffened. The air smelled strange. It was musty and… bloody? Among the scents of mud and earth, one stood out. _Oh no…_

"_We need to get back inside!_" Winter yowled. It was useless, however. Russia and Lithuania had no idea what he was saying. He looked around for any sign of the dogs, but could find none. He did not want to wait to see if one would appear.

"Hmm? What is wrong, Pushka?" Russia asked, staring.

As if right on cue, Lithuania cried out. Dogs came out of nowhere, yet everywhere. Even with the porch light on, the yard was dark, yet Russia could see the writhing mass of canine surround Lithuania, barking and howling.

They lunged. Lithuania screamed again, shoving the dogs away as they dove for him. He started to run for the safety of the house, only to be tackled by a rather large mutt.

Terrified, the Lithuanian rolled onto his back, raising his arms protectively. The dog pinned him down as other pack members surrounded him. The dog was grey with matted fur and angry yellow eyes. As it snarled, its slobber dripped down.

"Litva!" Russia yelled. He ran, desperate not to let them hurt his dear Baltic. He grabbed the first thing he could lay his hands on, a cinder block.

Lithuania struggled as the dog tried to bite his neck. Russia ran to the struggling pair, and raised the cinder block high over his head.

The dog bit down again, this time managing to get by Lithuania's arms. Lithuania screamed in terror. Russia brought the cinder block down.

_Crack!_

With a yelp, cut off quickly, the dog fell over. Blood seeped from the wound on its smashed skull. Its tongue hung limply out of its mouth.

The pack went into a sudden frenzy.

Terrified that the dogs would attack Russia, Winter launched himself into the fray with a yowl of fury. All at once, the dogs changed their direction from Russia and Lithuania, to Winter.

Defenseless, Winter was overtaken by the mass of dogs. He screeched in agony as they bit and tore at his flesh. He clawed and swiped back to the best of his ability, but there were too many of them. They all ripped at him at once.

"Nyet! Pushka! Get away from him!" Russia wailed in horror. Not his little kitty. Not his precious Pushka! He struck more of the dogs. It was not nearly as effective this time, they just either turned on Russia or leapt back into the pile.

Lithuania scrambled up and dashed for his car. He quickly started the car and slammed his hand into the horn. The screech of the horn drowned out the sound of the dogs barking and Pushka screaming.

Startled by the noise, the dogs broke into a run. They tried to jump over each other, trampling and tripping over each other and their prey. They made a mad sprint away, disappearing into the night.

With the dogs gone, Russia could do his best to save Pushka. Lithuania ran over to him.

Russia was crying. Pushka's once beautiful fur was matted and bloody and he was covered in wounds. A large gash ran from his shoulders to the middle of his back and was bleeding heavily. His face was cut and his lip was torn. His ears were a mess. So were his tail and right hind leg.

"Litva, go get a towel!" Russia choked out.

Lithuania didn't have to be told twice. He ran inside, repeating, "So much blood, so much blood!"

"Please, Pushka, hang in there. Please do not leave me. Please..." Russia begged.

Winter gasped for breathe. _Gah… It hurts… Is this body really so weak…?_

Lithuania hurried back outside with the towel. Russia carefully wrapped Pushka up in it, getting a hiss of pain from the little cat.

"I'm sorry, Pushka. Russia is so sorry," Russia whispered, tears still streaming down his face.

Suddenly, the cat wriggled out of his owner's grasp. The cat stumbled to regain his footing and squeezed his eyes shut against the pain.

"Pushka? What are you doing?" Russia reached for him again.

Then, crouched low to the ground, Pushka ran off into the woods.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Dun dun dun. I think I'll leave this cliffhanger here. I'll update soon! R&R!**

**Long chapter is long. On a semi-related note: Coyotes are the source of inspiration for this chapter. I live near the woods, so we have coyotes run through often. Our cat avoids them, though. Which is good. Alright, I'm done rambling. Hope you like the story so far!**


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